The Day of War
by loststolenandfound
Summary: Hal centric but heavily contains all other main characters.Hal is attacked and the repercussions shake what is left of 2nd Mass.Tom has gone with Karen and Matt has parted ways with his older brothers.Can the 2nd Mass overcome the challenges that they face or will some succumb to the Alien's plans?Not too sure about the rating yet as I'm only just starting out but it may chane
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first story for Falling Skies. I love everything about this show and hope that it sticks around and gets to live a good and decent TV show life! I know that I have plenty of other fiction to be writing and finishing and like I've said time and time again I intend to finish each of my stories. I just get so many ideas in my head that I go insane if I don't write any of them down. So please read and review and let me know what you think of this new story. I always love to hear people's opinions. Thanks **

**This story takes place at the end of the first season, I don't get the channel FX to watch Falling Skies but I have read a few spoilers and I may incorporate some of that into the story so be warned that you may read a few spoilers if you're not that far into the show. **

**Last but most importantly I don't own Falling Skies and I am in no way affiliated to it, this story is not for monetary profit but simply because I love the show and love writing Enjoy **

Weaver watched with dismay and disbelief as Tom took Karen's hand and walked through the ship door, lost in the mist and the overbearing presence of the humanoid that followed. As the door shut Weaver shook himself from the statue trance he found himself to be in. Holding his gun closer to him, subconsciously relying on it more than ever as a form of defence, he started to move out, back the way they had come. Shivering with something akin fear he walked quickly scouting the area to check that there was nothing that would attack. Weaver knew what fear felt like, he may be the 2nd Mass' leader but he was still a man, a man who used to have a family, a man who may still have a family but the fear of their death consumed him every now and then. It wasn't often that he felt fear on this type of scale however, but because Tom, a man who was not only his second in command and had made some decisions that had undoubtedly saved the whole camp several times, a man who had a family who he would do anything to keep them safe, was now a man who had contentedly gone with the very aliens that were intent on destroying their whole world.

Matt walked with the other children until they were all exhausted. Nobody was sure where they were walking to, what they were walking to. Uncertainty was a sure presence every second of every day for the people of the 2nd Mass. Matt worried about his family, his father and his brothers, they were all he had. He knew that the three of them would fight until the end and although he admired them for that he also hated them for the same thing. He hated that they were the fighters, that they were the ones that did the missions, that they were the ones that volunteered for every stupid reckless attack on the countless mechs and skitters that littered the surrounding world. A tear slid down Matt's grubby cheek but he quickly wiped it away with his shaking hand hoping that his moment of weakness would be missed by those walking with him.

Lourdes walked along side of Matt, her eyes darting to him every few seconds, noting the way his shoulders sagged almost in defeat, the way he sniffed occasionally as if he were holding back sobs. She couldn't ignore Matt wiping the tear away that ran its way down his face. Without thinking of what she was doing she put her arm around the small boy and hugged him close to her side.

"Matt, your father and brothers will do all they can to get back to you and I know in my heart that they'll all make it back to you. But you need to believe in them. The moment you start doubting them is the moment that we should all lose faith. We need to be ready for their return and whatever comes with them. It's okay to be scared about all of it but don't you dare keep it to yourself. There's a lot of people that care for you, me included." Lourdes spoke quietly, continuing to hug the child to her side, her caring nature instinctively trying to protect him from the harsh dangers of the world that they now lived in.

Elsewhere, a couple of miles away Hal and Ben continued their journey with the rest of their group: each one of them continuously on the watch for any movement in the surrounding area in case of a mech or skitter appearing. The group were walking through a deserted town when they decided to rest for a few hours until daylight. Hal, Ben and Maggie walked into an empty house and made camp in the living room after raiding some blankets and pillows from the upstairs of the house. Quietness fell as the travelling group got some sleep, three men patrolled and kept watch. After a few hours had passed Hal was woken to take over watch for one of the men while they had their rest and it was with weary, sleep filled eyes that Hal dragged himself from the warm confines of his homemade bed. He checked his weapons, making sure they were clean and loaded in case of attack and then walked out of the house into the cool summer's night air.

The surrounding area was quiet and Hal could not prevent his eyes from drooping with tiredness, his head would fall but then he'd catch himself, admonishing the weakness of his body and shake himself awake. After this had happened repeatedly Hal was even more exhausted. He needed sleep as he was now running on empty, it was at night, times like these where he had no adrenaline that exhaustion took a hold of him. Then he heard the noise he feared above all else, the noise of the mechs approaching. With renewed fear and desperation with little adrenaline he ran as quickly as he could to the house, shaking awake the occupants and ordering them to get their weapons. The mechs were getting closer and the group was not altogether. Hal sped around trying to focus everyone and get them in a big group when the house was fired at. They all ducked, trying to shelter themselves from the shattering glass and flying debris. Hal managed to fire off a few shots to the mechs but he had no idea if he had hit his target. As the mech continued its attack on the occupants of the house Hal led them, in a crawl, through to the back of the house, hoping against hope that there would be nothing else out there waiting for them. In the turmoil and chaos Hal did not even flinch when he was hit by flying debris.

Ben and Maggie followed Hal and the rest of the group out the back porch of the house and once outside the group sprinted down the road, not caring that they were going back the same way that they had come from earlier but simply wanting to put as much distance as they could between themselves and the mechs.

After running for what felt like an age the group stopped taking a chance to recover from the night's dramas. It was in this time that Ben looked at his brother for the first time since the recent attack.

Hal's eyes were glassy and unfocused, the boy was breathing in and out with a weez that seemed to hurt Ben as it looked so painful. Hal was clutching his gun to his side and sluggishly but determinedly moving his heavy head around trying to listen out for the sounds of the mechs hunting them. Hal did not realise that listening was in fact futile, he did not acknowledge that his ears were buzzing until his gaze fell on his younger brother whose lips were moving but no sound could be heard.

"Hal, Hal are you okay?" Ben panicked, anxious that his brother was severely wounded.

The sound of Ben's fearful voice grabbed Maggie's attention and she followed his eyes to the sight of Hal whose appearance shocked her. She knew that every occupant in the camp looked rough and grubby but Hal had never looked this bad in the time she'd known him. Without a second's thought she gently but firmly took Hal by the shoulders, gripping him even tighter when he tried to shake her off, and pulled him to the ground where he landed haphazardly onto his haunches.

Maggie knew instantly that Hal had been hit; the blood pool on his top was a sure sign of that. With growing trepidation she pulled at the garment, dragging it slowly upwards, dreading what it may reveal.

Ben gasped as Hal's wound was revealed, there was a hole in his eldest brother's torso that glistened with leaking blood, the skin around the area all mangled was majorly inflamed, an angry red colour oozing with rich red blood. Ben felt tears spring to his eyes, he could not bear to lose his brother, not after everything that Hal had made it through so far to get them to this point. They all owed so much to Hal and Ben would be damned if he let his brother die.

"I'll find Anne," without waiting to hear a response from Maggie, Ben sprinted to and fro, calling as loud as he dared for the camp's doctor. Never had he felt so glad for anything in his entire life than the moment his eyes fell upon her frame. She was staring at him, anxious, aware that if Ben was this wound up there had to be a good reason and it was a reason she feared. She despised the role that she played in camp, she hated that people relied on her so much, lives seemed to depend on her and Anne did not believe she was good enough of a doctor to save people. Not caring to waste precious time asking what Ben wanted, she grabbed her medical kit and followed the almost hysteric boy. Behind her Dai and other fighters followed too, worried that Ben may be trying to tell them that they were under attack, the Second Massachusetts were determined to be prepared for anything at anytime.

A horrifying sight met their eyes when the group Ben had brought set their eyes upon the eldest Mason son. His face was ghostly white, his lips quivering as if whispering silent words into the air, his body shaking quickly. Anne was hovered over him, seemingly checking his airway and breathing, she looked up in greeting at the arriving of the group.

"This is no bullet wound I've ever seen." Her words were spoken and silence automatically fell over everyone present.

"You think it was mech fire?" Ben asked, moving swiftly to his brother's side.

"Whatever it is, it isn't just shrapnel or debris. It's definitely weapon's fire." Anne was now cleaning the wound with what Ben presumed was alcohol wipes to help reduce any chance of the wound becoming infected.

"We need to set up a tent for him, I don't want him exposed like this, and we need to get a stretcher too." Anne ordered instructions carefully and as soon as her requests were heard the surrounding group of people sprung into action.

Quickly and efficiently Hal was moved to a stretcher in a tent and Anne began to work on investigating the wound. Time passed at a pace nobody cared for until Anne voiced that because she didn't know what he had been wounded with she had patched him up as well as she could and they would have to wait it out.

Weaver trampled his way as quietly as he could through the thicket until he arrived at a road he was partly familiar with from having investigated the map in so much detail. He remembered the way that the other groups would have taken but it all depended on him guessing the right direction now: which way was the way back to the school and which way was the one the others had taken? He didn't have long to decide as he soon heard the alien moo like noise that the mechs make. With fresh adrenaline coursing through his veins Weaver ran with renewed energy. Soon enough he lost the sound of the mechanical alien creatures but he kept a speedy pace going, he thanked his lucky stars that he had picked the right direction and even better – he had picked up on a trail of a mass amount of human footprints. He knew they couldn't be that far ahead. Even when dusk fell, Weaver kept moving and soon enough he began to hear the faint drum of voices wafting through the airwaves.

Ben was sat by his eldest brother's side, watching in a trance as Maggie paced by the tent opening and Anne continued to bathe his brother's face with cool water. His brother who he had feebly held hands with for just a moment, before the heat of Hal burned through him. Anne had told him that they needed to keep the temperature down and that it was already dangerously high: any increase and they would have to take action immediately.

Ben was awoken from his daydream by the sound of loud voices and watched as Maggie swiftly moved away from the tent following the increase in voices. He lifted his head and met Anne's eyes, they were both anxious that they were going to be under attack and neither was sure about what would happen to Hal if that happened.

Weaver was greeted by a crowd of confused civilians who immediately questioned the whereabouts of Tom Mason, their second in command. Weaver managed to escape their light interrogations with the arrival of Maggie, someone whose appearance he was not always completely grateful but he would happily let her save him from conversations he was not ready to have just yet. Just as he was about to ask her why they had set up camp in such an open area he caught the quick look of unbridled fear that shone in her eyes before it was quickly masked by defiance once again.

Following the young girl without question he was led to a tent and the sight within shocked and saddened him.

"What the hell happened?" Weaver asked starting to pull the weapons off that weighed down his shoulders.

"We were fired at and we fled but none of us realised Hal was injured, never mind this badly, we only noticed when he collapsed." Anne answered with a voice that was calm but everyone present could hear the fear and trembles that were only barely concealed.

Complete silence then fell over the occupants of the tent until Hal's body started shaking violently.

"His temperature's risen, we need to do something now or he won't survive the night, Ben get his legs." Anne jumped into action, a plan had sprung into her mind and they needed to act now or else they would just have to hope the fever broke on its own and the doctor within her knew that the chances of that were miniscule.

Ben did as he was asked and took the quivering legs of his brother as Anne took his brother's shoulders, he followed her lead when she raised them from the cot, and together they carried him outside. From there he walked as quickly as Anne did without risking dropping Hal's dead weight and he soon cottoned on to what the doctor was planning when he saw that they were approaching the stream that ran through the grass at the edge of the camp.

Together they lowered the sick teenager into the water, ensuring that his mouth never went underwater but the back of his neck was exposed to the trickling coolness of the water that surrounded him. After several minutes, and Anne instructing Maggie to get towels and fresh clothes ready for Hal in the tent, they carefully lifted Hal from the water. He was no longer shaking so much but had yet to awake.

Some time later and Hall was back on the stretcher cot, forehead covered with a cool bandage, dressed in fresh clothes, thanks to Maggie, Anne and Ben – (something that none of them wanted the eldest Mason son to find out for fear of death.) The three fell asleep in uncomfortable positions within the tent surrounding their friend – a boy who was family to one but considered as family to all of them.

Hours later, not long after the first sign of dawn, a soft coughing noise awoke Anne who was instantly at Hal's side.

"Hal, come on, come on, open those eyes. I know you can do it. Wake up Hal." Anne whispered softly trying to ease the boy from his deep sleep.

Hal's head felt heavy as he awoke and started coughing, not used to being awake, he was startled by the aching feeling that ran through his body. He heard a gentle voice but he could not for the life of him work out who it belonged to. With a monumental effort he wrenched his eyes open only to close them again straight away when the faint shine of daylight assaulted his vision. Trying a second time he was able to see the outline of a woman by his bedside.

"Mom? Mom what are you doing here?" Hal's voice was croaky and quiet but Anne heard every word and she gulped back a tear when she heard the youth in the teenager's voice, the teenager who should have his mom, the teenager that should only be worried about girls and lacrosse, instead he was a teenager who had been morphed into a man who fought aliens and mechanical creatures every day and was able to wield a gun but not legally consume alcohol. She didn't realise that Hal's voice had also woken Maggie and Ben.

"Mom, are you okay? We've missed you. But you're okay. You're okay. Dad will be glad too." Hal's emotion filled voice got quieter and gruffer by the end of what he was saying, his body and brain already becoming weary even though he had just awoken from a long sleep.

Anne did not have the heart to correct the confused and sleep addled boy, instead choosing to lean a little closer and envelope his hand within hers and raise it to her lips, sealing it with a slightly salty tear coated kiss. Using her other hand to gently rub some hair from his forehead, Anne smiled and told him to get some more rest.

Once Hal had fallen back into a slumber she raised her eyes to meet those of Ben. Ben's eyes were red rimmed with tears that had not been allowed to fall.

"He probably won't remember waking up then and it would have been crueller to take away the illusion of him having his mother by his side. He needs her now more than ever and if his subconscious wants him to have it, maybe this will help him heal." Anne wasn't sure how much Ben bought what she was saying and to be quite honest she wasn't sure the extent to which she believed it either. Yet she was happy with how she had justified what had just happened.

**Enjoy? Should I post more? I've loved writing this story I will probably update but I daren't make promises that I'll update by certain dates because I never stick to them. Like all of the stories that I've started on here I do have every intention of finishing them. I just have a silly muse who likes to jump from one idea to the next and I like to get them written down as I soon forget what I think I should write next. Then I love posting on here because I have a love for reviews. Reviews are wonderful things that not only make me feel very happy, they're also extremely rewarding when somebody comments in some level of detail to something that I have written. That's an amazing feeling- knowing that some stranger out there is reading something that I've written and I really hope that you enjoy it, so maybe let me know what you think? Good is brilliant but I obviously don't mind at all if you haven't enjoyed it, even though I would like to know how I could improve things so that you could share this story's journey with me Thanks for reading, lsaf x**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all so much for the story follows and favourite but most of all, thank you for the reviews! I can't even begin to describe how amazing a feeling it is to wake up and see that not only have people read something that you've written, but that they actually enjoyed it and want more! Wow. So thank you and here is Chapter 2. I hope it lives up to your expectations Please could I be a pest and request that you maybe leave me a review letting me know what you think or anything in particular you'd like to see or any character you think that should or could play a bigger role? Hope you enjoy as always Thanks for reading!**

**Disclaimer: Sadly I still don't own Falling Skies and I'm beginning to think I never will… ha and unfortunately because I don't have Sky I can't even watch season 2 so this is how I'm getting my fix. **

Throughout the following two days there was not much change in terms of Hal's recovery, he woke several more times, still slightly addled with fever and continued to ramble nonsensical words about his mother and the rest of his family. As people sat around him keeping watch, nobody was ever entirely sure if he even knew that he wasn't alone. Ben was a constant within the tent as were Anne and Maggie. Dai came and went regularly as did Weaver. Each one knew what Hal meant to the 2nd Mass and to each of them individually. Each one wished for his recovery to be a successful and quick one but the waiting was torture for everybody.

On the dawn of the third day Hal's eyes opened once again but this time they weren't as glassy as they had been since the attack that had wounded him. This time when Hal opened his eyes Anne reached for a glass of water that was frequently replenished with fresh cool water every few hours in case he awoke. Without speaking she held it to the boy's lips and allowed him to take a small sip and then took it away so that he couldn't greedily drink more and choke with not having been able to drink for a while.

"You back with us now Hal?" Anne smiled warmly at the slightly confused boy that lay in the cot before her.

"Wha' happened?" Hal's voice was a gruff slur but the words were still decipherable.

"You got hurt during the last attack. We patched you up as best we could, but in future, if you get hurt please tell someone." Anne lightly chided the eldest Mason son, knowing that both of them knew she was being deadly serious, but both of them also acknowledging that a Mason would never admit a weakness.

"Yeah, tell someone next time, you dumb jock. Glad you're finally awake though." Ben jokingly told Hal who, up until the sound of his younger brother's voice had not even realised that he was present, turned his head sloppily.

"You look like shit." Hal whispered, his mouth turning up a little in the corners as if he were trying to smile, yet it showed on his face like a grimace.

"Boys, boys, boys, anyone would think you enjoy these little jabs at each other." Maggie giggled even though nothing about the situation was at all funny but it was just nice to see that Hal was awake and everything seemed almost normal for a minute.

However, any happiness soon evaporated when Hal began to writhe with agony on the bed, his face contorted into a look of pain.

Through the groans and cries made by Hal, Maggie, Anne and Ben could make out words that were being repeated over and over by the boy on the bed. Words that scared them all, like; _mechs, skitters, found, waiting, watching _and _danger. _

As quickly as it began the agony Hal was suffering ended and the boy was left panting at the painful exertion of what had just happened. Barely able to open his eyes fully to look at the occupants in the room he fell back into oblivion leaving everyone wondering what the hell had just occurred.

Some miles away walked an exhausted and scared Matt; he missed his family and hated not being able to see them. He liked Lourdes but she wasn't family. She wasn't the person he wanted beside him at that moment in time. Just as the civilians were about to rest for a lunch break before starting to walk again, there was an alien like noise from beyond the tree line that made the hair on everyone's neck stand on end. It certainly wasn't the noise of a mech or skitter but it was unlike anything they had heard before. Crouching down to avoid detection the closest to the noise in the group of hundreds waited, each and everyone of them hoping against hope that whatever was causing the noise would just go the other way. For once it also seemed that lady luck was on their side because the noise was heard no more. Instead there was silence and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Then it happened. They heard a rustle in the nearest copse of trees and they all prepared for another battle. However nobody was ready for the sight that met their eyes when it was in fact a dishevelled Tom Mason that stumbled out of the wooded area.

Without even a single second's thought of what he was doing and the possible danger he could be in Matt raced to his father's side and hugged him as tightly as he possibly could. Even when his confused father tried to shake him off, he adamantly and stubbornly refused to let go.

Lourdes and the rest of the civilians closest to the reunited father and son also stood up to face the man that they had come to admire and look up to, waiting in silence for him to say something, do something.

Tom felt the bundle of warmth that encased his body up to the waist and he didn't at all consider it a threat. Although it did take him a lot longer than it should have to realise that it was in fact the warm and safe body of his youngest son. With a tight but happy smile Tom gazed at Matt whose own smiling was glowing like a 100 watt light bulb.

Nobody was quite sure what to say to Tom Mason, they wanted to trust him but each individual felt some fear of the man before them, the one that they once trusted with their lives. Lourdes had managed to coerce Tom into letting her check him over for any injuries and she was in the process of patching him up when the 2nd in command spoke for the first time.

"Where are my boys?" The voice from the man was still calm and quiet as it always seemed to be but Lourdes and Matt, who was still somehow clinging to his father with his small hands, could both decipher the terror in the man's voice.

"We haven't seen them in a few weeks now." Lourdes whispered averting her eyes to the small band she was applying over a wound in Tom's arm.

"What happened? Please tell me they're okay!" Tom looked anxiously at the two figures beside him, hoping that one of them would dispel his worst fears.

"We left before they did Dad. We think they got away okay but they were supposed to meet us a couple of days ago. Anne's with them but nobody's heard from Weaver since you and he left." Matt whispered with a voice that sounded wet from the arrival of tears.

"Tom we'll find them okay? They've survived so far and I'm sure they'll be okay wherever they are. As soon as you've had a good meal and some rest and you're feeling up to it we can go and find them somehow." Lourdes tried to reason with the man before her knowing that her voice had to sound believable and one of authority to ensure that he listened to her.

"We leave in four hours then." Tom rambled as his eyes began to droop.

"No offence Tom but you certainly don't look your best. It's already early afternoon and in four hours it'll be starting to get dark. So why don't we let everyone get some proper rest and take a break for the rest of the day. We can set up camp here, get everyone refreshed and set off at daybreak tomorrow to find your boys." Lourdes knew that what she was saying made sense and was glad to see that Tom's body was already succumbing to its need for sleep. Making her way away from Tom she went to find some blankets for the father and son and took them back to find Ben curled around his dad. With an affectionate smile on her face she covered the pair and left them to rust.

Lourdes walked around camp with a heavy heart, knowing full well that Tom Mason's return, whilst replenishing some lost hope with the group, also brought some doubt and it was obvious that not everyone wanted the man to be around them. The whispers that were hushed instantly as she wandered by were a clear sign of that. Yet as conflicted as she was herself she knew that they needed this man. He had been the reason they had all survived for so long before his disappearance and she needed his guidance. She just hoped that when morning came and the civilians went on their trek to find the rest of the Mason family, that there would be no trouble, there was already enough of that with the alien's presence, never mind the Second Massachusetts fighting amongst themselves.

Matt lay beside his father and for the first time in a long time he was able to drift off to sleep with a smile upon his face. His heart was lighter than it had been in weeks. At that moment he cared not the troubles of the future but simply chose to revel in the fact that he back by his father's side.

When daybreak dawned Matt and the group of civilians set off going back the way they had been coming in order to meet the fighters they knew were somewhere between themselves and the school. A contented silence lay over the group for once and it was pleasant. Everyone was happier than they had been for an age and nobody cared enough to make any comment about Tom's presence. Maybe it was something that would be brought up and dealt with in due course but the rest they had had all been able to have the previous day had set spirits high.

Walking back on themselves did start to irritate the group by mid afternoon however and small arguments began to break out amongst the group over petty, insignificant things. Matt couldn't care in the slightest though, he was happy enough to be walking alongside his dad, telling him all about what he had missed when he had gone to meet Weaver in Boston. Lourdes walked with them, just listening to the young boy who jabbered away, his mouth moving continuously, watching with a small grin as Tom's eyes met her own and rolled them almost mischievously as a response to his son's chattering.

Time passed and ground was covered, the group had set a good pace and didn't stop to set up camp until the sun was already beginning to set.

Meanwhile, not much had occurred during the day as far as Hal was concerned. Nothing else had thankfully happened within that camp either. There had been no sign or sound in the surrounding area according to the lookouts. Hal had been asleep most of the day which had allowed for Maggie, Anne and Ben to leave the tent and walk around, stretching after having been sat in the tent for so long.

Ben was alone in the tent when Hal opened his eyes. At first his older brother did not acknowledge the fact that Ben was there which allowed Ben to observe his brother who was normally so guarded. Ben was worried also however because Hal had become a soldier within this war and it scared him to see his strong and fearless brother so unaware and oblivious to his surroundings. Unable to watch any longer, Ben cleared his throat, alerting his brother to his presence, deciding to ignore the jump of surprise that Hal made when he was shocked to find he wasn't alone.

"Thirsty?" Ben asked trying to make the whole thing less awkward.

"Yeah." Hal's voice was still low but to Ben it seemed a bit stronger than it had been the last time he had heard it.

Raising the cup to Hal's lips he allowed the boy to drink sloppily, allowing the boy to get his fill, which ended in water dribbling down his chin. Hal moved his head away from the drink to signal he was done and Ben replaced the cup back on the bench by the cot.

"How are you feeling? It's good to see you awake again." Ben smiled affectionately at his brother: truly glad that Hal had woken up. Ben had been scared after his brother's seizure that something was majorly wrong and especially with the fever he hadn't been sure that Hal would recover.

"Been better." Was the short and blunt reply emitted from the sick boy who had already shut his eyes once more.

Ben took the hint and just waited in silence for his brother to drift off to sleep again once more.

Hours passed and Maggie and Anne were back in the tent keeping Ben company. A murmured conversation was playing out between them about general camp life when something made them turn their attention to Hal. The boy was still asleep but his wound had started glowing, or more specifically, and something that was discovered on a closer, more wary inspection, something within the wound was glowing. The pale blue light that emitted from the hole in the boys chest was all the warning they got but none of them were quick enough to react to what happened next.

Hal's eyes shot open, an unseeing look shone in the brown orbs, as he wrenched himself from the stretcher with an energy none of them expected from him.

Anne tried to stop the boy from over exerting himself but as soon as her hand came into contact with his arm Hal pushed her backwards. Maggie caught her just in time and watched with stark disbelief as Hal stormed from the tent. Together the three dashed after the boy watching as he moved closer to Weaver. Weaver had heard some commotion and was beyond speechless when he saw Hal moving towards him with a defiant look upon his face. In the madness of what he was seeing Weaver did not even notice the blue light coming from within the boy.

As Weaver got close enough to hear the boys breathing he spoke, "Didn't expect you to be up this soon, son."

He also did not expect the fist to fly at his face and with the shock of the attack he was not able to stop himself from falling.

Dai had been asleep and had missed Hal waking up but he automatically awoke when he heard the sound of a fist hitting flesh. Just as he opened his eyes to see Weaver fall to the ground he grabbed the weapon he slept with by his side and jumped to his feet, raising the gun in the direction of Weaver's attacker, but he was equally as speechless as the rest to find that the assailant was none other than Hal Mason.

"What's going on?" Dai asked warily, still reluctantly pointing the gun at Tom Mason's son.

The group waited for Hal to respond, all of them expecting him to either give a good reason or apologise and shake himself rid of any confusion. None of them however was expecting a voice, very unlike Hal's own, to be emitted from the boy's mouth.

"This is our vessel. Hal Mason is gone. You listen to and follow us now. We are the ones who you will obey. And you will not take arms against us or we will kill this lowly vessel and infect many, many more." The voice was dark and induced a quaking shiver within all who heard it. As the voice continued talking the blue glow became brighter.

Dai held his gun even tighter, taking aim at Hal's eye level, but not actually prepared to fire.

"Human, your lowly weapons will not kill us, but they will kill those we choose to infect, so we suggest you decide now. Decide now whether to kill the boy or let him live, but know that we are here to stay until we decide otherwise, and there is nothing you can do to prevent that." The voice continued to speak with a slithering eeriness that filled the group with a sinister atmosphere.

Just as Maggie was preparing for the worst, waiting for an attack to strike or a Mech to appear, the voice stopped and Hal dropped to the ground like a falling stone. This time however, nobody dashed to aid the boy, instead they left him laid on the floor in a heap. Weaver had recovered enough to have the sense to draw his own weapon which was now pointed at the eldest Mason who he was sure was unconscious but he was not going to be stupid enough to make the same mistake twice.

Ben was the one who took the first step towards his fallen sibling. Cautiously he encroached on the deathly still figure laid before him, closer and closer he stepped, praying the boy would not awake suddenly and lurch at him. Wishing with all of his might that when his fingers reached his brother's neck he would still find a pulse to indicate Hal's life, Ben valiantly stepped closer, crouching down and subconsciously taking a deep breath as if to prepare himself for the worst. It seemed like, for the few seconds it took to wait for confirmation that Hal still had a pulse and beating heart, the world stopped. Silence almost in the form of peace encased the fighters. Everyone waited with baited breath and relief flooded through everyone's veins when Ben confirmed Hal was still alive.

At this Maggie stepped forward to join Ben at his brother's side and there she gently rolled the boy onto his back using her foot. The fact that the wound on the boy was no longer glowing with the eerie blue light also helped to relieve the group from the memory of what had just occurred.

To Weaver and Dai who had just been woken up none of what had just happened felt real. It had all been like something out of a horror movie or a nightmare. Luckily it was all over, for now, anyway.

"Please tell me I just imagined all of that happening." Anne's voice shook a little with unmasked fear at everything that she'd just witnessed.

"I have no idea what just happened but something did." Maggie replied, gazing at the boy she'd come to have feelings for.

"Let's move him back to the tent and then we can try and think what the hell we do if that happens again." Weaver's voice seemed to have aged since he had last spoken. Everybody noticed the dark look in his eyes when they rested on the prone boy who lay on the floor.

"Dai, could you and Ben take him back with Maggie please? And Weaver I am going to look at that lovely shiner that you've got forming on your face so don't argue." Anne was the first to properly pull herself together. She didn't know what on earth had just happened but all she was sure of was that Hal Mason would not be harmed at the hand of anyone in the Second Massachusetts. Instead she vividly recalled the last conversation she had had with Tom Mason in which she had promised to look after his beloved sons if he were not to return from the Boston mission. That promise that she made had been sealed with a kiss, the sweetest kiss she could recall, and that was a promise she would never break. She waited and watched as Dai and Ben cautiously but firmly lifted Hal and carried him back to the tent. It wasn't until he was out of sight completely that she turned her attention and focussed it back on their leader. He too was staring at the tent that the small group had just entered. His forehead was creased with a worried stare and it was one that Anne was able to read easily.

Breaking herself from the almost trancelike state she had just fallen into Anne moved towards Weaver and led him away from the tent until it was out of sight. Then, in silence, she started to treat the bruise and broken skin on the side of his jaw. Both of them encased in silence and wondering how to deal with everything that had just occurred.

**Really hope this chapter was okay! next update will be soon! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow. I've had such a strange busy few days; I graduated and then had a university interview today. I have been so unbelievably stressed out but writing this story has really helped me. So here is a new chapter to reward and thank you all for reviewing so frequently. Your words have amazed me. I didn't think there would be many readers because there's hardly any fan fiction and that makes me sad But thank you all so much for your wonderfully kind words and thank you most of all for liking the story! I really worry now that these future chapters won't live up to your expectations but I'm working hard on them hoping that they will. Anyway I'll stop babbling now and let you all read. Next update may not be for best part of a week though because I'm doing a TESOL course over the next few days. I really will stop talking now, enjoy **

**Disclaimer: Still don't own it **

The following day Tom, Matt, Lourdes and a small group of about 15 including Scott and Anthony left the other civilians to keep trekking back along the road hoping to find the rest of the 2nd Mass. The ones they left behind had not wanted to continue backtracking when they had used so much energy walking in the other direction trying in vain to put as much as distance as they could between themselves and the school they knew to have been under attack from the mechs.

It took the new smaller group two days of steady walking to find themselves arriving at a little camp with a small number of tents pitched up in the shadow of the tree line.

Weaver watched with unbridled disbelief as a man he had never expected to see again wandered into camp with his youngest son and some more of the 2nd Mass. He stood up from the seat in which he had been mindlessly perched for the last hour or so and stepped closer towards them in greeting.

"I didn't think I'd be seeing your face again Tom." He said, holding out his hand to the man he had come to respect.

Tom clasped the hand that was reached out to him and shook it firmly, his eyes meeting with Weaver, confirming that now was not the time to discuss anything that had happened to him when he had taken Karen's hand and followed her onto the ship. However, as Tom stared into his commanding officer's eyes he saw something else there, a look of fear that was something he didn't often see in Weaver's eyes, and that worried Tom.

"I'm glad you made it back okay. Ben will be glad to see you." Weaver spoke quietly to Tom and sent a quick tight smile as best he could to the youngest Mason boy who was hugging close to his father's side.

"Just Ben? Where's Hal?" Terror took a tight hold of Tom when he noticed that his eldest was not mentioned.

"He's here and he's alive but it's complicated. Come this way and we'll fill you in." Without waiting for a response Weaver turned his back to Tom and walked towards one of the larger tents situated a short distance away from them.

Tom and his group followed without complaint, anxious to hear what they were about to be told. They were pleasantly surprised to enter the tent and find Anne, Maggie and Ben alive and well, waiting for them as if they were aware of their arrival.

Ben sped towards his father and younger brother, embracing them both tightly, unable to prevent the small tear that leaked from his eye. Ben was not one to normally cry, none of the Mason family tended to show such emotion but everything had proved too much recently, and he was beyond glad to be reunited with his family who he had not seen in far too long.

Matt couldn't help the grin from forming upon his face as he hugged his older brother with complete glee. Tom soon pulled away from the hug the three of them were sharing and Matt lifted his head to look at everyone else properly for the first time since they'd entered the tent. The looks upon Maggie and Anne's faces soon wiped the smile off his face and a feeling of dread took a tight hold of him.

"Where's Hal? Where's my son?" Tom wanted answers and was very quickly but understandably becoming impatient.

"He's alive and he's in the medical tent. We were attacked and he got hit but we weren't able to take out whatever he was hit with. It's not like anything I've seen before and it's too close to his organs and I couldn't risk operating until he had regained some of his strength." Anne answered wishing that this reunion had been under better circumstances. The man who stood before her was the one she had waited too long to be with again and she was aching with a desperation to touch him just to prove to herself that he was in fact real and not just her imagination playing tricks on her. The past few days had sent her mind into a dazed state where it was hard to decipher the normal crazy from the new crazy that Hal had induced. She didn't want to tell Tom anymore about the condition of his eldest and so her voice trailed off towards the end, hoping that Weaver or someone else would carry on explaining what had happened.

"Can somebody please tell me what the hell is wrong with my son!" Tom's voice was raised with anger and frustration.

"He's not safe to be around. He was hit with something that makes him glow and when he glows, well, let's just say nothing good happens." Maggie who was normally person everyone could count on to just tell things as they were, stumbled around the issue of Hal, when speaking to his father.

"Take me to him." Tom demanded turning round to exit the tent when he was stopped midway by Weaver pressing a hand to his chest.

"You need to hear everything Tom before you go to your son." Weaver's voice was uncharacteristically gentle as he pushed Tom further back into the tent.

Together the four who had been with Hal the whole time filled Tom, Matt and the others in on Hal's condition and everything that had happened since he'd awoke.

"When he'd passed out after hitting Weaver he was taken back to the tent and they weren't sure what to do with him so they just made sure there was an armed guard present with him all the time. But it didn't help. The next time he woke he knocked the arm guard out with just a look. He tried to leave camp Tom. But we had to stop him so we did all we could think to do and prayed it would work otherwise there was no telling what he would do next once he'd left us. He's in the tent but we're keeping him unconscious for the time being: until we can come up with something that will help him." Anne explained, averting her eyes when Tom paled at the dire news of his eldest.

"Nobody's allowed in the tent unarmed. I'm sorry Tom but I've had to send the order that he can't be allowed to leave the camp. The fighters are prepared to take the necessary action but we're hoping it won't come to that. They've all been armed with stunners but until one of them is tested we won't know if they'll actually be of any use to us." Weaver spoke and everyone took in the meaning of what was being said.

"So you're telling me that my son has been infected with an alien device that we can't remove and because of that he's a prisoner and his own people, the very people he has defended with his life for the best part of the last year would be willing to kill him?" Tom stood from the bench he'd been leaning on and confronted the surrounding people. He was furious with what he'd just been told and started to pace around the tent.

"Unfortunately, yes. Until we know more there doesn't seem to be a lot more we can do." Anne answered for Weaver trying to convey to Tom that this was something none of them were happy about but that she understood the action that Weaver had taken and knew that it was for the best and what should be done.

"I want to see him." Tom looked to Anne.

With a short nod she exited the tent knowing that he would follow her and expecting that a number of the others would as well. Crossing the short way across the grass the group found themselves stood next to a large tent.

Tom carefully pushed past Anne and entered the tent to find his son strapped to a stretcher, pale and unconscious. Moving forwards slowly and taking in the horrible sight that lay before his very eyes Tom reached for his son's hand. It was abnormally cold when he touched it and he wrapped it tighter within his own trying to spread warmth into the cold body.

Matt walked to Hal's head and pressed a kiss to his eldest brother's forehead that was shimmering with sweat.

After staring at his son for a few moments Tom found his eyes drifting towards the bandages that covered Hal's torso. The usually stark white dressing was tinged with a reddish covering of blood indicating that it had been some time since it had last been changed. Without hesitating Tom set himself to the task and was satisfied at having something productive to do at last.

In silence everybody left the tent except for the Mason family who surrounded Hal. Matt perched himself on the side of the stretcher next to Hal and hugged close to his oldest brother's body. Together the family drifted off to sleep and were only awoken in the brightening rays of dawning daylight by Weaver entering the tent.

"We can't stay here any longer. Scouts have sent word that mechs are on the way and we haven't enough bullets to take a stand against them. Pack up: we leave in 10." Before Tom could ask Weaver exactly how he expected them to move his unconscious son Anne joined them in the tent, brushing past Weaver as he exited.

"They're bringing the med van over so we just need to carry him out when it's here." She smiled at the family who were still rubbing dry sleep from their eyes.

Anne moved towards Hal and held her hand against his forehead to check that he had not gotten a fever through the night and with a relieved smile she was able to dispel any fears.

"He looks better. If it weren't for the hole in his chest I would say he'd be fine."

"Anne, that's not exactly the best news we've ever heard." Tom snorted.

"No, maybe it's not but as long as it could always be worse then we're okay. It's the moment when things are at their worst that we're really screwed." Anne sent a smile in the direction of Tom as she ruffled Matt's hair. Matt sent her a smile tinged with sleep filled eyes and Anne's heart couldn't help but melt at the sight. Throughout the time she had spent with the Mason family she had fallen in love with all of them and Tom had brought out the romantic side of her even amidst the devastation that had been brought by the alien invasion. The three Mason boys had brought out her maternal side and she instinctively took a firm grip on Matt's shoulder as she watched Hal with sad eyes.

Time passed and soon enough the medical van was waiting outside the tent and Tom and Anne carried the still unconscious boy and set him down safely and securely within the vehicle. Ben and Matt were allowed to stay with their brother as Anne and Tom joined Maggie and Weaver who were waiting for them whilst they put Hal in the van.

They set off walking as soon as everything in the camp had been packed up. The group of Tom, Anne, Maggie, Scott, Anthony and Weaver followed closely behind the med van with the rest of the 2nd Mass who had been with them following behind them. Just as the group were becoming complacent and disregarding any real thought of a mech attack because of the distance they had put between themselves and the location that the scouts had said them to be in, there was a loud yell from within the med van followed by a grunt of pain. Then as suddenly as it began the med van stopped. Tom ran the few metres that separated them from the vehicle and was shocked when his youngest son fell out the door with tears streaming down his face. Carefully but firmly pushing Matt away from himself and the van Tom climbed up to see what was happening. Weaver and Anthony could not help but draw and raise their stunners, hoping that they would never have to reach for their automatic weapons with a Mason boy as their target. Meanwhile Anne caught Matt as he stumbled from his dad's small push and she quickly gave him a once over just to ensure that he had not been hurt: when she was satisfied she sent him to stand back with Scott as she went to join Tom.

Maggie, Anthony and Weaver had already joined Tom by the van and watched with horror as Hal sat, sweating and grunting profusely, holding a gun to Ben's head. Tom had no idea where the gun had come from but he assumed it was Ben's. This assumption then meant that there was no way in hell that Ben would have held it up at his brother which suggested that Hal had grabbed it off of him which was probably the reason for the yell they had heard. Tom glanced at Ben and saw the shiner of a bruise that had already formed on his eye. Then Tom looked at the figure that was behind Ben and sadness filled his soul at the look in Hal's eyes: eyes that had never appeared so vacant and lost to him in his entire life.

There was a standstill between all of the people present with nobody wanting to make the next move and more importantly, nobody sure what exactly the next move should be.

Hal jabbed the gun forcefully to the body that he was tightly holding onto. He missed the grunt of pain that this emitted from the person he did not recognise as his younger brother, Ben.

Tom edged closer and closer to his sons and held out his hands in a non-threatening manner when two sets of eyes flickered at him. There was little to no warning of what was about to happen but Tom noticed the blue glow immediately as Hal shifted and caused Ben to stumble from his grip. Grabbing Ben securely Tom flung him from the van passed where Maggie and Anne stood, the former with her weapon now also drawn and aimed at Hal.

Nobody had time to react to anything when Hal leapt out of the vehicle into the open air. For someone who had spent the last couple of days in a fever induced and then a drug induced sleep Hal had a lot of energy and strength.

As soon as Hal's feet hit the ground however he was faced with the barrel of guns. Scott was tightly grasping both Ben and Matt at that time and had dragged them a little distance away from the action in an attempt to stop them from running into the frenzy.

"Hal put your gun down now." Tom ordered his voice strong and steady: hiding the terrified feeling he had.

"The mechs are coming. Take me down and they're sure as hell going to take you filthy humans down." Hal's voice was back to how it was the other day when he awoke. It was dark and eerie.

"The mechs can come all they want, and no matter how much we fight them off, they probably will keep coming. But you see, Hal is our friend, hell he's more than that to us all, so whoever you are, and whatever you think you're doing, prepare to die in a horrible way as soon as we figure out how to kill you. And believe me, we will figure it out." Maggie's voice was strong and full of anger which was directed fully at whatever inhabited Hal.

The blue light in Hal started to glow brighter and a look of anger filled the boy's face. Without warning he raised his weapon and seemed about to pull the trigger when Anthony appeared behind him and struck him over the head with his gun. Like a leaf falling from an autumn tree Hall sank to the ground unconscious. The blue light faded and peace seemed to fall over the land once again. Everyone waited with baited breath for the dreaded sound of approaching mechs but after a few minutes passed and there was no echo of them they all sighed a breath of relief.

"Sorry but I wasn't about to wait around for no mechs to come out and get us. They'd have probably taken Hal down with us anyway. I'm guessing they're just using this glowy thing what's inside of him to get what they want." Anthony shrugged as Weaver looked at him exasperated: almost in question as to why he didn't test the stunner.

"What the hell do we do now?" Scott asked from where he was shielding the younger Mason sons.

"Whatever we have to, we can't let him escape again, we can't be put into the position where we raise a gun to his head." Weaver answered in a low but steady voice that perfectly reflected his leadership skills. It was times like these that people needed a leader and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to give them the finest one he could.

"Anthony and Maggie, go get the crate." Weaver ordered, nodding at both, dismissing them to go and fulfil their duty.

"No, no, no. NO! I won't have my son in that. We kept a frigging Skitter in there. That is no place for my son." Spit flew from Tom's mouth as he furiously protested the proposed action.

"Tom, calm down, this is the safest way and you know it, deep down you do. And it's not like he's a prisoner, it's just to keep him safe. We don't know what the hell he's infected with but how do we know that the thing in him won't cause him harm as a bargaining tool to make us do whatever it wants." Anne rubbed her hand up and down Tom's arm and back as a way of trying to calm the incredibly irate man.

Nobody spoke until the crate was insight; on the back of a trailer it stood, daunting and dark. Everybody present could not help their minds drifting off to remember the last time the crate had been used. Tom had just dragged the skitter back which he had beaten in the hallway after his son and Karen had been left behind on the mission. Anne had killed the same skitter after it had murdered Dr. Harris.

Ben turned his head away, he couldn't bare to see his own brother, his brother who was turning into such a frail body and yet was infected with an alien creature that gave him supreme energy.

Tears streamed down Matt's face as he watched the crate be opened and Hal lifted from the floor where he had laid, ignored entirely whilst the crate had been fetched. Matt knew that Hal wasn't himself and that it wasn't safe for him or them when he was in this state but that understanding didn't make it any easier to watch Hal's family and friends lift him into a metal barred prison cell.

Hal was positioned in the corner of the cell furthest on the trailer and Maggie jumped in to the cell and crouched down beside her friend. With a small look of sadness on her face for the whole situation she took the time to whisper soothing words into the once again unconscious boy's ear and then took his wrist and attached a steel handcuff to it fixing it to the bar of the cell. With one last look at Hal she left the cell, jumping off the van and joining the rest of the group who had watched the scene play out with sadness and frustration.

With one final look at the cage Weaver handed Tom the lock. Tom's eyes flickered from the lock he had in his hand to the door of the cell that it had to be attached to. Taking a deep breath and praying that his son would understand and maybe even one day forgive him for his actions Tom stepped towards the van closed the door which trapped his son in and then clicked the lock shut. Tom's head drooped down and a tear slid from his eye. No words were spoken as the van engine was started and it drove away from them leaving the group to follow behind in silence, each trying to contain their emotions, and each trying to summon the courage they would need for the coming battles that lay ahead.

**You likeyyy? I likeyyy this chapter : ) It was another favourite to write, that's three favourite chapters of mine in a story of only three chapters :') I love writing something that I'm pleased with. I hope it's everything that you were wanting from the next update and I would love to hear what you think! Thanks for reading (and reviewing!) x**


	4. Chapter 4

**Oh my, thank you so much for all of the wonderful reviews. I still have no idea at all what's happening in Season 2 because as I'm sure I've already told you: I don't have FX. And I can't find it online anywhere Think I'm actually going to have to wait until next year for the DVD to be released. Boo! But yeah I'm super sorry for the long wait that you've had for the next update but here it is and I've tried to make it good as well as long! I hate to keep asking but I would love it if you could tell me what you think, not only does it make me super happy to hear what people think of my writing, it's also FAB inspiration to make me write more. **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own it and can't even watch it :~( Even though I really really reallyyyyyy want to! The idea for this story is built inside my imagination.**

Hal's head was heavy and drooping upon his chest when he awoke. His head was on fire with a build up of pain behind his eyes causing him to clench them shut even tighter which only intensified the pain in his head. Frustration took a hold of him when the boy realised he could not even move his arm to soothingly rub his face for some unknown reason. Expelling a whimper of aggravation Hal attracted the attention of Anthony who had been sat in the truck looking in on the eldest Mason who was handcuffed to the inside of the cage.

Lurching into action Anthony shouted as loudly as he dared without alarming Hal, who had yet to become aware of his surroundings, but Anthony should have realised that those he was calling for would have never been too far away from the Mason child they were all concerned about.

Jogging the distance between where he had been sat to his imprisoned son, Tom took in the sight of Hal who was still struggling to open his eyes.

Anthony sat back down beside his friend but kept a wary distance in case the boy tried to attack him through the bars.

"Hey Hal, Anne's on her way, she'll probably give you something for the pain if you want it?" Anthony cautiously fed one of his hands through the bars and laid it to rest on his friends shoulder. The muscles in that shoulder were tense and taught. Sighing with sadness and dare he admit it, pity, Anthony started to rub slightly on Hal's muscled shoulder in an attempt to relieve some of the boy's pent up stress and irritation.

Tom climbed into the truck and joined Anthony. Together the pair waited for the arrival of Anne who had gone to get some medical supplies. She arrived a matter of minutes after Tom and had Ben and Hal in tow.

"Hal, can you open your eyes for us please? I'd like to check your pupils." Anne kept her voice quiet as she looked at Tom signalling for him to unlock the cage which would allow her to enter and see to her patient.

Tom did something that he never thought he would when it came to one of his sons: he hesitated, and for one small second he feared what his son may do next. He feared that his son may attack another one of the 2nd Mass and as soon as he realised he'd done it Tom felt hatred for himself on a whole new level. He was so disappointed in himself for doubting the human side of Hal. Tom knew that Hal was infected with something alien but he also knew that Hal had always been human and that needed to be the prevailing force in this fight. Before Tom's mind could stem anymore doubt about his eldest boy Tom nodded to Anne and rose out of his crouched position approaching the lock that kept his boy imprisoned. Taking a deep breath and preparing himself for what was possibly about to happen he unlocked the cage door and pushed it open. Anne crept in straight past Tom, too busy with what lay before her to even acknowledge the presence of him or any of the others. With caution and a slight tinge of fear she approached the handcuffed boy who still had his eyes tightly clenched shut.

"Hey, it's Anne, can you open my eyes for me do you think Hal?" Anne kept her voice quiet and as upbeat as she could given the circumstances. She didn't want him to be afraid of her or angry with the fact they had locked him in a former skitter cage without his knowledge.

Hal heard the familiar voice flow around his ears but the knowledge of who it belonged to escaped him, teasingly sitting just out of reach and finally, after what was in reality a matter of mere seconds but to Hal it felt like dragged out hours, he succumbed to the need of placing a name and face to the voice. To do so he had to open his eyes and when he did the sunlight that hit his vision increased the headache causing him to let out a low groan.

Anne knelt beside him, ignoring the person she could feel walking towards her and Hal, if she had to hazard a guess she would have said it was Tom. With Hal's wellbeing the only thing she was concerned with however she couldn't bring herself to care who it was now knelt at her side. With small trepidation she opened her med kit hoping that it would not spook Hal who had once again closed his eyes tightly shut. When Hal didn't move a muscle Anne proceeded to dab antiseptic over the part of his wrist that the cuff had been pulling on. All things considered this would be the least of anyone's concerns but Anne knew that even the smallest wound could cause harm and wreak havoc on a human body if they weren't treated correctly. It also gave her time to think about what the hell she was going to do next to help save Hal.

The wound on his chest that sometimes glowed with that eerie blue light was still seeping with blood and as they'd not changed the bandage in a while Anne feared that it was becoming infected. That would have to be seen to next but Anne was afraid. Afraid that something would happen if she touched the open wound. Now that they'd all witnessed the repercussions of the blue light Anne knew that healing Hal's body would most likely aggravate the alien infection and the results of that wouldn't be good for anyone concerned.

Matt watched from outside the cage. He hadn't been allowed in at first, when his dad and Anne had first entered; Maggie had put her arm around him firmly. Yet sometime, during everyone watching the scene play out before them Maggie's arm had dropped to her side and it took a while for it to register in the youngest Mason boy's head. Acting quickly without even a second thought Matt ran towards his oldest brother, his Hal. Hal who had always made time for him, before the invasion and after it, despite the endless scouting missions that Hal was sent on he always made sure to stop by and see Matt both before departing and upon return.

Matt knew that Hal had always tried to put on a brave fearless façade throughout his entire life. Matt could remember Hal always acting like he was untouchable back at school before any of this ever happened. He could remember the times when Hal came back from school after breaking up with yet another nameless girl only to shrug his shoulders and claim that life was more fun being single. But Matt could also remember walking into the kitchen one day to find his mother comforting Hal over one of his break ups. That was the day when Matt stopped seeing his brother as some lacrosse playing unemotional robot and started to see him as who he really was: a boy who was not truly a boy but not quite yet a man, a brother who looked out for his family more than himself and someone who was afraid to show emotion in case it was perceived as weakness. That had been the day that Matt had slinked out of the kitchen, making sure that he'd not been caught spying, and then as soon as he next saw Hal, running to him with wide arms, taking him by surprise with the biggest hug he could muster and telling him that he loved him.

Matt pushed past Anne who had temporarily been lost in a daydream about ways to possibly help Hal next and his father who had not realised they'd even been joined by the boy yet. Matt tightened his small hands in Hal's t-shirt collar and embraced him: almost trying to recreate the exact same hug that he'd given to Hal in what felt like a whole lifetime ago.

Hal felt his aching body tugged into a small bundle and the surprise of it caused him to drag his eyelids apart to see who was holding him. By this time Tom and the others had realised that Matt was inside the cage and each one subconsciously moved their hand closer to their firearm. Just in case. That's what each one told themselves anyway, just in case, just in case.

Matt held Hal as softly as he could and started whispering to his big brother. "You must be hungry Hal, or thirsty, are you? Because we could get you something? We have a big supply, Ben and Maggie found a shop earlier and we got a bit more food. There's canned chicken, you wouldn't even have to have tuna if you don't want, I don't want tuna so I could understand if you were bored of it too. Or there's rice. You like egg fried rice don't you? Well they brought back some packets of that too. And to drink they found lemonade. Can you believe it? Actual lemonade." Matt continued to whisper nonsensical nothings into Hal's ear as he moved his head closer to that of his brothers until their foreheads were touching.

Tom watched with tears prickling at his eyes at the sight that lay before him. Even after the danger that Hal had shown himself to be in the fight that had taken place earlier Matt refused to be afraid of his own sibling. Even though Tom knew that Hal could probably kill Matt with his free hand if he chose to, well not Hal but the monster within him could, Tom couldn't bring himself to wrench his youngest from his eldest. So he watched with sadness as Matt talked and talked and talked until eventually even he was about to give up. His voice was becoming tired and croaky and the effort seemed pointless. Hal had not even acknowledged the presence of any one of them never mind the fact that someone was actually clinging to him.

Just as Matt was about to give up he was startled by a weak voice: "If I didn't have a headache already I definitely would from your marathon talk. You sure can chat kid." Hal's voice was weak and gravely but it was still there and most importantly, it was still Hal. It wasn't the horrible unknown creepy menacing voice that they'd all heard him speak in before. It was his brother's voice and the magnitude of that, the magnitude of his brother still being there somewhere, however lost he may be inside his own body hit everyone like a tonne of bricks.

Nobody could keep the smiles from their faces and more to the point nobody wanted to. They wanted Hal to keep talking, even if it was just to complain or mumble unknown things, they wanted to be sure that it was in fact him that they'd heard and not just their individual imaginations teasing them.

"It's about time you woke son." Tom's face was alight with the first real smile he'd had in months. For just a few seconds he was allowed to convince himself that everything was going to be okay: that his three sons were all alive and well.

"What's happening to me?" Hal muttered trying to raise his arm only to find that it wouldn't budge from its uncomfortable position. It felt like it was suspended above the ground and not rested on anything but Hal couldn't work out how that was even possible. It wasn't until he forced his eyes to connect with the handcuff and see the restraint for himself that it dawned on him and with that came bile that rose from his throat so quickly he didn't have time to warn the body that was closest to him.

Matt didn't even realise Hal was being sick on him until he was finished and just sat whimpering and dry heaving. Matt looked down on himself in shock and alarm before raising his eyes to meet his brother's.

Anne was the one who pulled herself together the quickest and she gently pushed Matt upwards with his little body so confused that it followed instruction. Once he was stood she called for Ben to take him and get him cleaned up properly with clean clothes. Quickly Ben did so, entering the cage for the first time, trying his hardest to not look at the quivering wreck that was Hal who continued to sob by his feet. Instead he took the sleeve of Matt and pulled him away from the scene.

"Hal, you're okay, alright sweetie? You're fine, absolutely fine, this is only a precaution. We don't want you to get hurt and this is the safest place right now while we're on the move. We had to secure you like this just to stop you from rolling with the motion of the truck in case you hurt yourself." Anne's voice was gentle and placating as she moved her arms in small circles on Hal's temples knowing that his head was hurting and trying to soothe his pain.

Tom couldn't tear his eyes away and was startled when Maggie appeared beside as if by magic with a set of clean clothes which he presumed were for Hal.

"Ben grabbed these for him and gave them to me." Maggie answered Tom's unasked question of how she'd managed to do all of that without him actually noticing any one else had left.

Anne had taken to trying to remove Hal's top but it was proving difficult with his wrist being cuffed to the metal bars of the cage. Closing her eyes and hoping against hope that this wasn't just a play by Hal to get free, she asked Anthony to go fetch Weaver and release the Mason son from his bond.

Silence encompassed the people in the cage until Weaver appeared and climbed into the truck but stopped before entering the cage. Instead he peered in and silently prayed to whatever force was listening and helping the good. He couldn't exactly claim to be a religious man but at this point, with aliens from outer space threatening the human race everyday, he was prepared to believe in anything that was even slightly good.

"Tom I can unlock the cuff but I can't take the risk of him starting to glow again. So there's some conditions and I hope that you understand why I'm going to insist them be done but as you once told me the first rule of combat is survive and if he lights up again I'm not sure we would." Weaver was determined to see these security measures put into action and he would not waver just to appease the father whose son was imprisoned.

"First of all I want him sedated, and yes Anne before you say that it wouldn't be a wise idea with his head and possible concussion from earlier, that's fine and I understand. So just administer him a mild sedative, one that will still keep him conscious but just so that he poses less of a threat." Weaver stated his first condition and held up a hand to stop Tom from interrupting him.

"Tom, I believe that you were here to witness the incident earlier, in which Hal hit his own brother and raised a gun at these people he's considered to be family for the best part of the last year. So in that case, I'll admit it once again, I do believe that it isn't Hal whose threatening us, instead whatever that blue light is, that's the threat and unfortunately, because it's in Hal, that makes Hal a threat." Weaver reasoned with Tom, his voice steady and strong, not allowing any room for arguments.

When Weaver was sure that his first condition would be followed and Anne had already started to draw up the fentanyl that would be injected into Hal intravenously. He began to state his second condition.

"As far as I'm aware fentanyl helps with pain and even though it will help to keep Hal using only slow movements, this blueness seems to have its own strength, so I want him cuffed. Not to the bars of the cage as I understand that's exactly what the problem was before, but cuff his wrists together and that way there can be no lurching movements of attempts at fighting which would lead to us having to take him down once more." Weaver ignored the look of disbelief that shone on Tom's face. He knew that he was being harsh but he had the safety of his group to think about, the safety of _his_ people, and because he'd already born witness to Hal's strength he was prepared to take the necessary precautions.

"And finally, I'm going to have to insist that the cage be locked whilst you're helping him. I'm sorry." Without waiting for an answer from either Tom or Anne Weaver proceeded to click the heavy padlock shut which locked the three of them back in the cage.

Hal was only vaguely aware that his hands were moving even without him commanding them to. He felt his shirt being removed but he didn't fight the hands that undressed him. They were soft and warm and instead he found himself leaning into them, wishing that their warmth would spread through him because even though the fire burned through his chest the rest of him was cold. He was even more glad when the garment that had for some reason felt wet and heavy and smelt rather similar to that of Ben and Matt's sick from the day they'd gone to the theme park with his family. He remembered that day well, having had it repainted on the forefront of his memory when Ben had shown him the picture of the Masons together as a family and told Hal that he looked like their mom. He remembered well the putrid and acidic smell of vomit when both of his younger brothers had sicked up their stomach contents on him after they'd been on the big rollercoaster.

Hal's mind was so far lost in the memories of what life used to be like that he didn't even notice the hands that were redressing him with clean, warm, non-smelling clothes. He also failed to notice that his hands were pulled together in front of him and it was only when he heard the metallic _click_ that he realised his hands had been cuffed together. With a grunt and low moan that he would never admit sounded like more a whimper he struggled to pull his hands apart. He tried and tried, each time that he failed, making yet another frustrated cry.

"Hal stop now, you're only going to hurt yourself more, and we don't want that. That's why we've done this, okay, we just want to look at your wound and we don't want you to hurt it more yourself." Anne once again tried to reason with the boy that was sat in front of her by telling him a small little white lie. The truth would never do him any good, to know that he was considered as threat to the very same people who he had spent the best part of a year defending with his life, would never do anyone any good.

Hal ignored the voice that he thought was Anne's but he wouldn't be sure unless he actually saw her presence. He continued to try and yank his hands free of their imprisonment, each time he failed to free himself, becoming more and more agitated.

Anne was gently pushed out of the way by Tom who could not bear to watch his eldest struggle against his bonds anymore. Kneeling with one leg on either side of Hal's own he took the hands that were chained together and held them firmly in his own.

"Open your eyes, son, and see that we're only trying to help you. Please don't hurt yourself more." Tom tried to reason with his son, wishing that Hal would just open his eyes and acknowledge that he was safe.

Hal heard, through the hazy noise that filled his ears like an irritating swarm of far away flies, a voice that until now he hadn't realised had been so close. Opening his eyes to make sure that it was indeed his father that now sat before him and not just a trick of his imagination, Hal winced against the pain that increased as bright daylight assaulted his vision.

"Good boy. Thank you. See? We're all okay; everything is going to be okay. We're just going to look at that wound of yours but you need to calm down." Tom smiled gently at his son and reached up with one hand to wipe away the few drops of water that were being blinked out from the squinting eyes.

"Tom, I don't think this is going to work, the more that I want to investigate the area and see what the hell is infecting him, the more it's probably going to hurt him. We need to keep him calm and I can't sedate him anymore without him losing consciousness." Anne spoke to Tom whilst her eyes lay on the still squirming figure of Hal.

"We can help." Ben had appeared with a fresh looking Matt in tow.

"I won't have you in the cage with us. It's not safe." In that second, Tom despised himself. In that second he admitted that it was not safe to be around Hal anymore and he mentally berated himself for admitting it in front of his other two children.

"We can still help from out here though Dad." Matt spoke softly as he moved around the cage on the truck until he was stood behind Hal facing his dad and Anne. He reached his small hands through the bars and clasped Hal's arm. As Anne moved Hal into a lying down position Matt lifted his brothers cuffed hands up over his head and held them within his own.

Ben joined Matt's side and together the pair held Hal's wrists and hands and murmured to him hoping that he'd hear them through the haze inside his head.

Tom watched with anticipation as Anne lifted up the waist of Hal's new top to reveal the wound that lay under a swarm of bandages beneath.

As the bandages were removed Tom and Anne gasped at the sight that lay before their eyes. Matt and Ben couldn't see what was happening but they increased their supporting murmurs to their older brother who had started to whimper as if in pain.

Hal squirmed against Anne as she gently prodded the wound on his chest.

"Hal, shhh, calm down okay? We're just going to clean it up a little as it's a bit red for my liking. It won't take long." Anne spoke, her voice quiet and calm, trying her hardest to not reveal exactly how she felt.

As soon as the wound had been revealed to the two adults a fear like no other had taken a hold of them. It was red, that admission to Hal hadn't been a lie, but there was no way all they had to do was clean it.

Inside the open cut there was an object that at first sight looked like an eyeball, but surely it wasn't?

Anne glanced at Tom, "Tom I'm not sure what this is."

Hal chose this moment to wrench open his eyes and slur unintelligible nothings.

Upon further inspection Anne could see that the "eyeball" was connected by many small transparent strands that seemed to flow further into the boy's body.

Just as Anne was about to admit that she was unsure of what action to take next, there was a low thumping noise in the distance, and everybody knew exactly what was about to happen. There was nothing good going to come from a mech attack...

**Well…? **


	5. Chapter 5

***Peeps out from behind corner* Hello, I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack. First of all a MASSIVE HUGE COLLOSAL 'SORRY' to everyone for the delay in this chapter! The reason is that it was just my 21st birthday and I've been busy celebrating, I'm going to Dublin this week too and then London the week after so it may be a little while until the next update again. Which again I must apologise for! **

**Thank you to all of you for reviewing, I honestly can't describe the wonderful feeling I get when I see that some kind soul has left me a review. Amazingly, all of the reviews have been positive and complimentary and I adore all of you for that! So thank you **

**Also thank you to dancerinthedark101 for telling me about couchtuner. I've now been able to start catching up on season 2! Yipppeeeeeeeee **

**Disclaimer: Still don't own anything linked to Falling Skies besides Season 1 DVD **

**Enjoy Chapter 5**

As the thudding vibrations sounded closer and closer, and the panic everyone felt rose higher and higher, Hal found himself feeling weaker and weaker. His arms were still held in the grips of his brothers and he had so little energy that he couldn't have tugged them away if he'd tried.

Matt watched his father with fear seizing his heart, making the thumping beat echo in his ears against the backdrop of mech steps. Matt waited with baited breath for the man that he trusted above any other to tell him what to do.

Weaver had already begun ordering the others to start moving but to be prepared to fight along the way. The engine of the med van had started up and slowly Matt found himself trundling along the tarmac road still holding Hal's hands.

At this point Tom realised that he was still locked inside of the cage and this would be no good during a mech and skitter attack. So he yelled for Weaver, who was already commanding people on the other side of the group and at this point uncaring if he startled Hal. This was no time to be cautious.

Hal wiggled his arms over his ears to try and block out the sound of his father's gruff yells that seemed to be so close to his head.

Anne watched what was happening but kept her hands on Hal's chest to try and limit his movement so that he wouldn't pull on his wounds. She hoped to keep him grounded to stop him from becoming more agitated but she didn't think Tom was helping.

"Tom stop, you need to stop, it's too loud for Hal."

Tom continued to yell until Ben decided to silence his father by saying he'd go get Weaver to release them.

Ben ran towards Weaver as fast as he could but somewhere in the run across camp he was flung through the air, landing with a groan, his ears filling with crunching and yelling, and the gun fire, the gun fire rattled through his bones like tin cans falling in the wind.

Ben dared to open his eyes and saw small fires burning around him, mechs were approaching, skitters were scurrying towards fleeing humans. Wrenching himself up off the ground Ben reached for his weapon and started shooting at a skitter that was far too close for comfort. Once he'd exterminated the alien spider-like creature Ben remembered his mission, he needed to find Weaver. Keeping low to the ground Ben ran as fast as he dared to where he'd last seen Weaver. Smoke surrounded him as he fell to the ground once more, this time the awkward and painful landing stopped the boy from jumping back on his feet straight away. Instead Ben lay on the shaking ground, his left arm clasped around his midriff where the wind had been knocked out of him, his right arm scraped pathetically across his forehead to try and clear the sweat and muck that was leaking into his eyes. After a few painful seconds Ben was able to wrench himself from the ground and continue his journey to Weaver.

Weaver had been ordering some campers to fire on the approaching aliens when he'd been flung like a useless rag through the air thanks to an explosion nearby. He heard his name being called over the shouting and weapons fire but he couldn't see Ben.

Dai kept firing his weapon, knowing deep down that the bullets would soon run out but unable to do anything about it. He watched with inner glee as two skitters fell to the floor with shrieks and lay dead at his feet. He stole a few spare seconds to let his eyes glance around and see how everybody else was coping with this attack. With horror he noticed that one mech seemed to be simply watching the battle play out, seemingly unconcerned that the rest of his comrades were in the middle of a battle that they may not win. This worried Dai. And then, he realised why, unfortunately the realisation was probably too late. The mech he was busy watching had started its quick mechanical walk in the direction away from the rest of the aliens, this pleased Dai until he realised exactly where the mech was headed.

With fear gripping his insides and terror tearing at his heart Dai ran like he'd never ran before, he jumped over scattered debris, ducked fire that seemed to fly from every direction, with each step his heart pounded and desperation clawed at him.

The mech was steadily walking straight towards the med van and as soon as Tom's brain connected this to the imminent danger that was fast approaching he screamed for his youngest to let go of Hal and run. He yelled at Matt with spit flying from his mouth and Matt ran as fast as his little legs would carry him. He didn't take the time to turn around for a glimpse of his dad and brother. He hoped in his little, strong heart of gold that this would not be the end for any of them. They'd come too far and gone through too much for it all to be in vain.

Anne moved closer to Hal, trying to shield his body with her own and too soon the mech was in front of them. Then a still settled on the group in the med van. All eyes were locked on the mech which appeared to be content to just stand and watch the humans in the cage.

In this calm Dai continued to pelt his body forwards, raising his gun and taking aim, pulling the trigger and assaulting the mechanical alien that posed a threat to his second in command.

Anthony saw Matt stumble when his little legs gave out and was ready to catch him, tugging him out of the line of danger to join him behind the barrack he'd made using some of the camps supplies.

"We're gonna all be okay Matt, you'll see, that mech there would have killed already if that's what he was planning to do. So as hard as it is we just gotta wait it out and try and make sure we don't lose anyone, okay?" Anthony grasped the youngest Mason's shoulder and looked into the boys eyes with as stoic stare as he could muster.

Meanwhile Ben had launched himself through the throng of bullets and humans and aliens and managed to reach Weaver's side. As quickly as he could he told Weaver that he needed the key for the cage and together the pair turned and were horrified to witness a mech staring down at the med van. Weaver instantly flung the keys for the lock into Ben's hands and the boy tore off, praying to whatever God may have been listening that he would be able to reach the cage before the mech shot at his family.

Hal had absolutely no idea what was happening, there seemed to be a lot of muffled noise just beyond his conscious reach. His arms were still laid out above his head but he could no longer feel anyone else's warm touch. With a whimper and a groan he dragged himself out of his half slumber and was assaulted by Anne's back nearly upon his prone frame. Struggling to move his head around her he managed to glimpse a sight of silver metal that never failed to send shivers to his bone.

The mech slowly advanced on its prey until it was almost in the med van itself. Just as it started to raise one of its mechanical arms something ran into its peripheral vision and the machine instinctively turned its head towards its new target. Although, once the mech had locked eyes on the human, it realised that this was not in fact a target, like the rest of these humans. Instead it was a skitter child who had been deharnessed. Having deemed this newcomer as a friend rather than foe, the mech quickly turned its attention back to the humans that sat before him. What the mech had missed was the keys that had been thrown from the deharnessed boy to the man who stood inside the cage.

Tom had noticed Ben's appearance immediately and was prepared for the metal keys that were flung at him. Taking them quickly into his grasp Tom rushed to the cage's door and fumbled with the lock that hung on the other side of the door. Finally he was able to turn the key after twisting his arms through the bars.

The door of the cage swung open and Tom reached his hand into his holster that kept his pistol safe. It was the only weapon that he had on him and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to do his best to ensure the safety of those he cared about.

Hal had managed to heave his weary body up off of the hard cage floor so that he could peer around Anne in order to get a better look at their foe. As soon as the eldest Mason revealed himself to the mech, things changed, the noise that had continued around the group unnoticed became deafeningly loud. Tom tore his eyes away from the mech to the horrifying sight of what was beginning to happen. The other mechs and skitters who had been engaging the humans in a fight to the death had stopped their assault and instead were now advancing towards the cage. The aliens seemed to simply forget the fact that they had so many human targets and this dazed the humans who had stopped firing their weapons at the enemy. After a few stunned moments passed the 2nd Mass restarted their assault on the aliens with more vengeance than ever before and were delighted that even when they had slaughtered some of the aliens, none fought back. As the aliens marched away from him, Weaver fired with all of his might, trying in vain like the rest of the 2nd Mass to shoot as many aliens as possible and take advantage of the fact they seemed to be able to do it without fearing for their own lives.

Granted, a lot of aliens did drop to the ground with a screech and a cry, but unfortunately there were too many for human bullets and within a few minutes every single alien was gathered in front of the cage.

Anne felt her limbs tremble, she knew they didn't stand a chance against this army of aliens before them and given their current predicament of being in a cage with the only exit meaning they would have to run towards the aliens in order to get away, she did not think of there likelihood of survival as very high.

Suddenly there was no chaos, no murder, no sound. Ben watched with baited breath and without thought about what he was doing he closed his eyes. With his vision gone he could imagine that there was no threat, no fight for survival, no risk of death. But too soon that moment was ripped from him and he tore open his eyes when he heard the dreaded sound of a skitter moving. He watched as the alien spider creature scuttled towards the cage, passed the mech, and crawled into the cage. He watched with anguish as his dad and Anne pushed themselves closer to Hal to shield him from the creature.

Moments passed where humans and aliens alike were united with the same situation: all of them looked on at the four occupants of the metal barred cage. The skitter within began its high pitched mewl like noise and the more that it 'spoke' the more sinister the atmosphere became. After a minute or two had passed there was movement behind Anne. She was too shocked to stop Hal from rising his weak body into an upright position and Tom only managed to spur himself into action a few seconds later. He moved swiftly between the now standing Hal and the still quietly shrieking skitter. With his back towards his son Tom failed to see the light that shone from the small but gaping hole in Hal's chest. Anne however, saw the light 'turn on' and with a small plead for forgiveness for what she was about to do, she shoved Tom to the ground. There she lay with him having flung herself to the ground to and together they watched, Tom with a shocked and startled expression, as the eldest Mason boy bowed to the skitter in front of him.

A feeling of deep loathing filled Tom's veins as he was forced to watch his son, his own human son, bow to an alien creature. He was terrified when the skitter advanced the few steps towards his eldest boy and feared for the worse as one of its legs was drawn up and raised at Hal. However, shock took hold of him when that same leg was savagely drawn down quickly to break the handcuffs that bound Hal's wrists together.

Once Hal felt his bonds broken he raised himself to his feet and gratitude flooded his body. Nodding his head in thanks to the skitter who had released him Hal turned to stare at Tom.

"Your son is gone Tom Mason. You will not win against the creatures that now inhabit Earth. It would do you well to acknowledge your new leaders and know that to fight back is to die. We will not harm you as long as you pose no threat to us. If you value your life, or any of those that you care about then you will admit defeat with the case of your eldest. Hal Mason is no more. We suggest you order your people to stand down or we will begin attacking you humans once more." The words flowed in the deep voice from Hal once again and devastation tumbled on Tom like a tonne of bricks. For now, he could clearly see the blue light that shone from Hal and once again he was reminded of the alien life force that possessed his own son.

Not a single human dared to move in case they occurred the deadly wrath of the alien army that were gathered by the cage and sadness gripped at all of them as they watched Hal be shuffled along by several skitters.

Maggie's gun was raised but her finger was not on the trigger, hell, it wasn't even close to the trigger. She knew with a heavy heart that if she was to shoot one of the aliens now, a dozen more would attack her. She couldn't bare to watch the strong Hal Mason that she knew leave the 2nd Mass to go with the aliens so instead she looked away from the scene in front of her. Her eyes fell on someone she had almost forgotten about: Lourdes. The young girl was stood a hundred yards or so away, trying to inconspicuously wipe away tears from watery sad eyes. Maggie couldn't help but feel sad for the girl. Maggie knew that Lourdes like Hal and she also knew that although Hal very much liked Lourdes he had never seemed to be that romantically interested in her. Yet Maggie couldn't help but deny that Lourdes was a wonderful girl who Hal would be lucky to have with him. She was courageous and strong with a belief that consumed her faith to such an extent it almost made everyone else believe that there was a deity watching over them all.

Having watched Lourdes wipe away the tears that were blinked from her eyes Maggie summoned the courage to face the aliens and Hal once more and in that moment she promised two things. The first was that she vowed to protect Lourdes and make sure that there was something worth Lourdes believing in and secondly, that Hal Mason would not be lost to the aliens.

Lowering her weapon she turned away from the stomach churning sight of Hal walking alongside aliens and started moving away from it all herself. She walked as far as she could before she collapsed to the ground, and for the first time in years, sobs ferociously shook her body as she finally realised the magnitude of the recent events.

**Eeeeeeekk. Really really hope this was okay! Again, sorry for the long wait for this chap, life is busy. I love this fic and I love Falling Skies, but I love you, the readers, even more! Really hope you all enjoyed and I'll update next week when I'm back from my travels x**


	6. Chapter 6

**Back again… Sorry I keep wandering off for a long time without posting any new chapters. Real life has been a pain in the neck. I had an interview last week which I got so now I move to London tomorrow and I've just been really busy packing and trying to organise what to take with me on the train from Newcastle to London!**

**I really appreciate all of the reviews and I'm so sorry that I don't reply to them individually. You've taken the time to write to me what you think of the story and I am so rude to not give you the same courtesy. But I just want to make sure that you all know that I do really appreciate EVERY review and like I said last chap, everyone has been BRILLIANT with their reviews and they've really inspired and motivated me in writing this next chapter. **

**Also if there's anybody reading this whose story I was reading and reviewing, I do get emails when you've updated and posted the next chap and I will be reviewing when I can. Sorry for being so poop at ff life right now. **

**Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading and returning every chapter. I love writing for you all Enjoy the next, very long awaited, chapter. **

**I'll stop talking now and if you didn't already know, I don't own Falling Skies and neither am I in any way affiliated with it. This story is for fun not profit.**

Lourdes jolted awake, her head shooting off the pillow with a cold sweat playing on her neck and forehead. Feeling wetness on her cheeks she wiped them clear with a shaking cold hand only to discover that her cheeks were soon dampened again. Then she realised, after a few dragged out seconds that she was crying. Small whimpers that filled the tent were her own. Not even trying to get back to sleep she heaved her aching and sad body from the cot in which she had lain and made herself ready to face the world outside the tent once more.

The whole night after Hal had left had been one where everyone had moved seemingly on autopilot. Nobody seemed able to process exactly what had happened. Lourdes had watched through constantly tear filled eyes as Matt and Ben had both broken down simply from watching their father fall to the ground with heart wrenching yells begging for his eldest to return.

She had watched as Anne had moved closer to Tom and the two remaining Mason boys and tried to comfort them, not much good was done when tears started to cascade from her eyes too.

Finally Lourdes had turned her vision to look at the others around them; Weaver who had managed to stay stoic and strong also looked frustrated and angry. He had begun to yell with anger at the fact that one of their own, one of the 2nd Mass had just been taken right in front of them by aliens and they hadn't been able to do a thing. Maggie had by this point managed to pull herself up off the hard soiled ground but her cheeks were flushed red and her eyes were bloodshot and teary. Lourdes had wanted to comfort her, the girl who loved Hal, the way that she had maybe once felt for him, but now they'd both perhaps never be able to do anything about it and for that, for all that she was worth, Lourdes struggled to reclaim any faith she had had before this had happened. No longer did she feel completely reassured by a deity watching over her, she so wished that there was indeed something more, they could all use that protection and safety.

Eventually the 2nd Mass had dissipated into their tents for what would be a restless night's sleep for all. Just as Lourdes was about to fall asleep she felt a presence beside her.

"Don't let go of the person you are, Lourdes. We all need you to keep your faith. It helps us through, we need that belief and confidence that only you got." Anthony whispered in the dark of the tent, his hand gently squeezing her own, before suddenly he turned and exited the tent. In fact Lourdes wasn't even sure, when she awoke in that cold sweat the next day whether the encounter had really happened or not.

As she left the tent the next day she was surprised to see the sun just starting to rise from behind the trees that shaded the campsite. People were already up and about, preparing themselves for tackling whatever was to happen on this day.

"Lourdes, there's breakfast ready, come and eat with us." Anne appeared from nowhere and took hold of the girls arm, dragging her compliant body along with her without waiting for an answer.

They arrived at the makeshift breakfast hall to find the Masons, Dai and Anthony already seated with bowls of porridge before them. Nobody was eating though, instead they were just either staring into space, oblivious to the warm food laid out before them, or they were swirling the mixture around aimlessly.

Soon enough Anne and Lourdes had joined the others and still neither of them ate until Anne had finally had enough and told everyone that they would need their strength if they were to get Hal back.

Everybody then ate in compete silence, only the occasional clink of a metal spoon hitting the side of a bowl could be heard.

They were interrupted by the arrival of hushed tense voices belonging to Weaver and Maggie.

"We sent some scouts out in the night to try and locate which way the aliens went. They've just arrived back now with news that they found them heading East. Anybody opposed to taking the fight to them for once?" Weaver asked the assembled group.

This was the moment they had all been waiting for but not quite expected it to actually happen. Matt dropped his spoon into his porridge bowl. It was surely too soon, it had all happened too quickly, Hal had only been taken the night before. He watched with wide eyes as all those around him agreed loudly to go and fight. There was soon movement with people going off to collect their weapons and pack up their belongings ready for the quickly approaching attack.

Hal's body moved on autopilot, not listening to the pleas of the human inside but instead to the commands from the bug inside of him. Human Hal had no control over his own limbs as they marched him along but he could still feel the sharp tug the movements made on his chest wound and he hated the overwhelming feeling of being powerless to do anything but watch in silence as he had walked away from the 2nd Mass. Hal and the skitters and mechs marched and marched until suddenly one of the mechs started shooting its weapon at an unseen target. The human side of Hal gasped in horror as out from the thicket, a little distance away from him, a man fell. Shot dead by the Mech fire. _He didn't stand a chance against this army, _Hal thought to himself from within the prison of his own body.

Silence ensued but the tension was thick in the air, encompassing all those who stood within it, aliens and human alike could feel the coming of the unknown.

A few moments passed in eerie calm until all of a sudden Skitters began to screech and mechs began to _thudthudthud_ in their fast mechanical movements. Weapons fire rang out in the still air and more human yells could be heard in response. Hal didn't have a weapon to defend himself and this thought terrified the human side that was lurking within his mind, until he realised that nothing was shooting him. The human assailants in the attack must have thought he was a prisoner and so they weren't targeting him but the aliens knew that he was one of them and they had not fired upon yet either. This was a small comfort to the teenage boy inside the body of a human that was home to a glowing alien entity.

Very quickly the battle came to an end leaving a blood bath surrounding human bodies that were strewn around the area, the humans dead before they even touched the ground. Some Skitters had wounds but none of them were fatal. Hal thought to himself that these people couldn't belong to the 2nd Mass as they would have surely had the bullets that Pope had created which were able to take down Mechs if enough were used.

With blurred vision, it seemed that Hal was beginning to lose control of his own eyes to the alien that possessed him, he watched through narrowing lenses as his own body was propelled towards fallen bodies. With his heart in his throat he gulped back pure disgust and horror when he saw that there was a group of children, huddled close to where the first human weapon fire came from. He could do nothing but watch as the Skitters surrounded the children and mewled in their cat like voices. It was with terror quaking in his bones that he watched the children succumb to the spell of the Skitters and he fought to no avail when his body started to move along with the rest of the aliens. Together the pack, along with their newly acquired collection of human children moved across land towards some unknown destination, the whole way Hal felt himself become more and more lost within his own body.

As human Hal began to diminish into nothing more than a silent observer, the alien entity in his chest grew stronger. It acquired its own body (Hal's former one obviously) and it started to develop its own state of mind. Its own sense of what it must feel like to be alive.

The 'eye' was not so much an eye as it was a machine. It had been specially designed by the Overlords as a way of fully observing and monitoring the way in which humans act and behave, in their own environment, as well as when they were amongst aliens. The eye weapon was directly linked through some sort of communication system with the Overlords themselves. The Overlords had designed it as one of their more advanced types of weapons. When the eye was shot from the pellet gun from where it came, it would propel through the air and had the power to penetrate many things; including human flesh. Once the eye was within its new home, it released many tentacles which flooded the human body and entered the organs within a human body. Once the tentacles were attached to the organs they released a chemical. Not one that would kill but one that would just allow the host body to weaken. After a while the host would be so weak that the eye was in full control. The more tentacles it had, the stronger it became and the better it could protect itself from the human immune system that tried to fight it so valiantly. The Overlords had however not accounted for the fact that human bodies, when they were shot and now had a gaping wound in their chest, would try and heal the open sore. The eye which was telepathically linked to the Overlord became angry when skin began to start to scab over and invade its vision.

The 2nd Mass moved stealthily through the overgrowth, they had left camp a few hours before and had covered a fair amount of ground. Pope and some Berserkers had gone ahead to scout out the approaching area as the rest of the 2nd Mass ploughed on, tugging with them their belongings and weapons. Weaver was wary of what they were potentially walking into with this attack and he tightened his grip on his gun. Tom was walking a little distance away, Matt and Ben just beside him a little behind. Weaver smiled knowingly, he knew the feeling that a father felt to protect his children. However the weak smile soon slipped from his face when the thought of his daughter, missing, possibly dead, entered his mind. This horrific thought may have saddened him but it also resolved him in his determination to kill every last alien that walked their Earth. This was their land, their world, and they weren't about to let it go without a damn good fight.

"Good pace everyone. We'll keep it up for a couple more clicks then we can stop and rest it out a bit. Then cover some more ground before we're out of light." His voice rang commandingly over the 2nd Mass assembled around him and everyone murmured their consent.

Matt's legs had started to feel achy and numb only a short time after they had set off but a few hours into the trek they were weakening greatly. It was such an effort to pick up his feet and plod on with the rest of the group. He didn't have the energy to continue the conversation that Ben and himself had been having and he ignored his brother's low mumblings about him being rude.

Ben watched out of the corner of his eye as Matt trudged along beside him, his pace becoming increasingly slower but Ben slowed himself down too to stay belong side his younger sibling. Just as Matt's legs finally gave out Ben swooped in with his super speed reflexes and lifted him into his arms before his body had hit the floor. Quietly shaking off his father's concern he moved Matt into an easier position for carrying and rejoined the others.

Anne and Tom resumed walking when they were sure that Matt was safe in Ben's arms. The pair had their hands by their sides but occasionally, depending on their footsteps, their hands would briefly wave passed each other. When it had happened several times, Anne bit back a smile and tugged Tom's hand into her own, interlocking their fingers, turning her eyes to meet his own.

"He'll be okay Tom. We'll find a way to help him. We won't lose him after everything he's been through." Anne spoke, her voice confident, not betraying her to the uncertainty that she held in within her.

Together the 2nd Mass covered a lot of ground and were just about to stop for a break when Pope appeared from a tree shaded path just in front of them.

"We found 'em. They're two clicks north of here: bedded down for the night in their fucking creepy ass bat beds. Some Mechs are patrolling but there's a lot less than earlier. Don't know where them freaking machines are but I sent some of the boys on to go check it out. They're gonna report back when they find out and I told 'em not to engage with the bastards."

"Was Hal with them?" Maggie's voice rang out from further back in the group. Her voice was dry and rough from the tears that she'd had to swallow down. Everybody was silent as they waited on the response from Pope.

"I couldn't see for the position the Skitters were in but if he's gonna be anywhere, I'd say that would be the place I'd bet on." The reply didn't relieve Tom as much as he thought it would to know that his son was nearby, instead it made him afraid, afraid of what was to come in a very short space of time. Would they have any chance of rescuing his eldest or would it all end, for them, in one more final battle.

Hal watched through pin prick blurry eyes as the Skitters and Mechs slowed to a stop and he felt himself collapse in on himself as a Skitter came along to 'collect' him. The spider like creature picked his limp body up and proceeded towards the bridge where the other Skitters had already started to hang from to sleep.

The Skitter dropped him unceremoniously to the ground but luckily it wasn't from much of a height and Hal wasn't really able to feel pain anymore. The Skitter then proceeded to mewl and hiss in its crackling voice as it raised one of its tentacles to softly stroke the human body laid before it. Some part of Hal, a small part deep within him that he had no control over, found the mewling a soothing noise and he soon found himself drifting off into a state of unconsciousness.

Time continued at a pace that the aliens were truly unaware of and a sort of calm had fallen over them despite the terror and devastation they were responsible for inflicting upon the humans who inhabited the world in which they had invaded.

The 2nd Mass watched from their vantage point just south of the bridge where the Skitters were hanging having their bedtime nap. They'd all been shocked at how easily they'd been able to approach the aliens when they'd expected to attract attention with the sound of their footsteps however quiet they tried to be.

With silent commands to those fighters who surrounded him Weaver instructed the group of what the plan was and once everyone had nodded their understanding and consent, they all turned to observe the alien creatures as they waited for their perfect moment to attack.

**So yeah, now we know a bit more about this 'eye' that's not so pleasantly stuck in Hal's chest. Ouchy. It made me feel funny just writing about it. Well I really hope this chapter was worth waiting for. Thanks for reading **

**PS. As I mentioned at the start of the chapter I'm moving down South tomorrow so the next chapter may not be up for sometime and I'm really sorry about this. I'll try my best to upload it sometime soon!**


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